The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-04-12

had Drlery IOiu low ue Adu seen Tue
work of God grow and how the
naught. His testimony was the same
to-day as it was in the
DAYS of the prosecutions at
Kirkland. The speaker had on one
accession heard it remarked that the
adversary had lost the occasion of his
existence in not strsngling the church
at the time of its organization with six
members. Elder Wells testimony was
that the gospel would grow and the
kingdom increase until it filed the
whole earth. Proceeding, he rehearsed
the early efforts of Joseph Smith in en-
deayoring to learn the truth and which
sect had it; how he, in 1920, appealed to
| God for wisdom that he might know
! which church to join; how he saw, IN
| vision, Jesus and His Father; how he
received from heaven the authority ior
| the establishment Of the church upon
p, the earth; how it was told him mat his
name would be cast out thto ghout
the earth; how he was told tnat the
churches had gone aStray. changes
! the ordinances. broken their covenants
| and departed from the truth. Joseph
Smith was successful in convlnc-
ing members of his own family,
and several of his friends, and
never did he relax his efforts
| to promulgate the gospel he had been
entrusted with, the plan of salvation.
| The angel seen by John. had flown
through the midst of heaven, having
the everlasting gospel. Wherever the
elders of the Latter-day Saints nave
gone they have carried truth, virtue
and honor; their lives have corresponded
with what they taught and the people
| have had confidence in them, and nave
Welded obedience to the requirements
OF the gospel; they have gathered from
the various nations; they have come 10
the mountains and made the desert
blossom as the rose, and thrlved and
prospered, and increased and muitlpneo
under the blessings of God. The testl-
mony of Elder Andrus, an old New
Engiauder, was a strong one, and one
which he would bear at all times and
under all circumstances. regardless OF
the incarceration which threatened N
for his conscience sake.
| Elder Wells had been taught from
shis childhood to look for persecu-
| ton, and in his maturer years he
! had realized from his own ex-
perience, the force of this teaching.
! Mobs, politicians and emissarles OF
Satan have furthered the work of God.
| He could see no good accomplished for
! Christianity by the imprisonment OF
! good, honorable men. He asked, when
! would the nation listen to the appeals
of the Saints in behalf of the good men
! of their faith, who had been harrassed,
prosecuted. forced into exile and i'm
| prisoned? The assaults of the enemies
| of the Saints would be productive OF
good TO the Saints.
| Iao o1r-naatod nv tho | a f
ter-day Saints were for the benefit OF
! mankind throughout the world. They
| declared that God and His Son Jesus
| live in the heay ems that they had faith
! in Them; that the Holy Spirit exists,
and that by its means they knew of the
| things of heaven, past, present and to
! come; that men must repent, be bap-
/ tized and have hands laid on them for
the gift of the Holy Ghost, in order to
/ attain to salvation. Why should men
oppose such principles? Under them
the Saints had been led to live lives of
purity. They had gone willingly. with
out purse and scrip, to all parts of the
earth-to the isles of the sea. Through
the efforts of such men a common
wealth had sprung up. Was this the
result of teaching Vice2 Verify, no.
Their lives were examples of industry
thrift, honesty, peace and truth. All
they asked was equal rights, and with
] them guaranteed they would establish
an exemplary state of affairs; new
State would be organized which would
shine with the brilliancy of her sisters.
The Mormons were accused of having
more wives than one. This was shock
ing to the tastes OF American society.
Those who reproached the Saints for
this, are grossly ignorant of the latter s
true condition. They didn't know that
according to population there were more
peaceful homes in U tab than in any
other section of the broad land. Tht
man who charged crime against the
homes of the faithful La5ter-dsy Saint!
falsi6ed. He challenged the showing O.
more virtue in the same number o.
monogamic homes than existed in the
: homes of polygamists. He believed tn,
principle would eventually be &C.
knowledged TO be correct. Thu
.. charges against the Latter-day SAINT
! were unreal misrepresentation haC
, been made and furore created con
corning the Mormons, and popula
feeling was against them. In the earl,
days, so great was this feeling, tina
disIoyalty was charged; their leader
: were called traitors, and, in 1857,
United States army was sent here, bu
: it brought blessings to the Saints. ant
! might rightly be considered as one Q
4 the greatest military blunders since tn
charge OF the Light Brigade at Bals
, Klava.
!. Elder Wells believed that the work i
: which he and the Latter-day Saint
8 were engaged. was the kingdom spoke
! of by Daniel when he said And j
u the day OF these kings shall the God {
! heaven set up kingdom. which sha
- never be destroyed; and the kingdor
:, shall not be left to other people, but
!, shall break in pieces aud consume q
!. these Kingdoms, and il shall stand fC
. ever" The sending OF an army her
i was an example of the truth Of this, fC
u shortly after its return to the east, til
= Eation was broken in two by the out
Break of the rebellion.
i In conclusion. the speaker said
~ Listen to such men as Milo Andru:
- let US not be gagged. 1: is val
for any power to hope to overtime
!, the Kingdom OF God; neither persecU
= ton nor incarceration will DO it. TT
g elders are willing to be impris oned an
= are ever ready 70 make sacrifices fC
:, the gospels sake. They have test
= monies which cannot be wrupg fro
O..